Scottish Executive

Domestic Abuse

Mr Gil Paterson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made in rolling out the Zero Tolerance "Respect" pilot project.

Ms Margaret Curran: The Executive is funding the Zero Tolerance Trust to amend the "Respect" materials in the light of the pilot evaluation, print 100 copies of the packs and arrange seminars for education specialists to promote the "Respect" materials. This work is to be carried out by the end of March 2003.

Football

Mr Kenneth Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what information it can provide on the extent of football-related violence over the last 10 years.

Mr Jim Wallace: The recorded crime statistics collected centrally do not distinguish football-related incidents and the Scottish Executive has not commissioned research over the last 10 years on football-related violence.

  The Executive has, however, mounted research into violent crime in Scotland and that research may, in due course, be able to identify football-related incidents.

Football

Mr Kenneth Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many arrests have been made in or around football grounds in each of the last 10 years, broken down by football ground.

Mr Jim Wallace: Information on arrests by the police is not collected centrally. The recorded crime statistics collected centrally do not identify the location of the crime.

Justice

Mr Gil Paterson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what case tracking procedures are in place in (a) police forces and (b) the Scottish Courts Service.

Mr Jim Wallace: All Scottish police forces use unique references to track incidents. These then form part of standard ISCJIS (Integration of Scottish Criminal Justice Information Systems) tracking numbers which can be used throughout the Scottish Criminal Justice System.

  All solemn and summary sheriff court cases and civil cases in the Court of Session and sheriff courts are allocated a unique reference number when the case is first lodged. The progress of a case can be tracked using the unique reference number.

Legal Aid

Mr Gil Paterson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-24729 by Mr Jim Wallace on 17 April 2002, what progress has been made with the independent research project into the impact of fixed payments.

Mr Jim Wallace: The research specification is almost complete and will shortly be issued to the research community for tendering.

Legal Aid

Mr Gil Paterson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to the announcement by the Deputy First Minister and Minister for Justice on 18 February 2003 regarding changes to civil legal aid, at what key stages solicitors will receive payment for work.

Mr Jim Wallace: The proposals will require a solicitor in a defended action in the sheriff court to report to the Scottish Legal Aid Board when a particular procedural stage passes (for example, options hearing and closing the record); whenever a significant development occurs (such as when an opponent makes a tender), and in any event, where a case runs for a long time, to submit a report every 12 months.

  At the different stages, solicitors may be entitled to a payment to account, if appropriate, for fees for work done to the date of the relevant report. Any such payments would, of course, be deducted from the final account submitted at the conclusion of the case or where the civil legal aid certificate was terminated.

Legal Aid

Mr Gil Paterson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how non-court work will be valued under a block fee system for civil legal aid.

Mr Jim Wallace: The proposed new block fee system - which will replace one that is already in existence - will provide for a fee in respect of each major stage in a case. The relevant fees have been designed to cover both work in court and other work undertaken to progress the case.

Legal Aid

Mr Gil Paterson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how value for money will be assured if payment for civil legal aid changes to a block fee system.

Mr Jim Wallace: The new system will reward the efficient processing of business from the client’s and taxpayer’s point of view by paying for measurable blocks of work completed, rather than time spent or letters written. The current system does not do that effectively. In addition, the introduction of a binding quality assurance system will ensure that clients get the high quality service they are entitled to expect.

  The Executive will monitor the new system very closely and propose to carry out a thorough review after two years; this will provide an opportunity to assess the impact on clients, solicitors, and the wider justice system.

Prison Service

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to questions S1W-31088, S1W-31487, S1W-32018 and S1W-33898 by Mr Jim Wallace on 8 November, 22 November and 10 December 2002 and 18 February 2003 respectively, whether it will show the performance points accrued by the operating company of HM Prison Kilmarnock, broken down for each heading and subsection in Schedule F to the Minute of Agreement between the Secretary of State for Scotland and Kilmarnock Prison Services Ltd for the Design, Construction, Management and Financing of a Prison at Kilmarnock other than sections 2.1(i), 2.2(a), 2.2(b), 2.4(a), 2.4(b), 2.4(d) and 2.4(e) for the quarter October to December 2002.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The information requested is shown in the following table.

  Performance Points – Year 4, Quarter 3

   
2.1 (a) Absconds
0  2.1 (b)
Temporary Release: Inadequate Risk Assessment
0  2.1 (c)
Release of Prisoner in Error 0
 2.1 (d)
Failure to Provide Accurate Daily Report 0
 2.1 (e)
Failure to input basic Details into Prisoner Records
0  2.1 (f)
Failure to Process Accurate Warrant Details
10  2.1 (g)
Discovery within Prison of Smuggled-in Items
175  2.1 (h)
Key/Lock Compromise 0
 2.2 (c)
Incident of Concerted Indiscipline 20
 2.2 (d)
Incident of Hostage Taking 0
 2.2 (e)
Incident of Roof Climbing 0
 2.2 (f)
Incident of Self Harm 15
 2.2 (g)
Incident of Class 'A' Drugs 400
 2.2 (h)
Incident of Drugs Other than Class 'A' 60
 2.2 (i)
Contingency Planning Exercise (non-completion)
0  2.2 (j)
Fire Evacuation Exercise (non-completion)
0  2.2 (k)
Failure to Comply with Agreed Reporting Procedures
10  2.2 (l)
Tool/Implement Loss (Recovered)  4
 2.2 (m)
Tool/Implement Loss (Not recovered) 12
 2.3 (a)
Failure to Provide Timeous Medical Assistance
0  2.3 (b)
Failure to see Medical Officer on Admission
0  2.3 (c)
Failure to Provide Meal 0
 2.3 (d)
Failure to Comply with Health and Safety and Hygiene Requirements/Legislation
0  2.3 (e)
Failure to Respond to Prisoner Complaint Timeously
0  2.3 (f)
Substantiated Complaints against Staff 0
 2.3 (g)
Failure to Comply with Cleaning Schedule 0
 2.3 (h)
Failure to Repair (Equipment and Services)
0  2.3 (i)
Failure to Repair (Accommodation and other Areas of Prison)
0  2.4 
(c) Failure to Deliver Education Hours (76-95%)
0  Failure to Deliver 
Education Hours (66-75%) 0
 Failure to Deliver Education Hours (56-65%)
0  Failure to Deliver 
Education Hours (Less than or equal to 55%) 0
 2.4 (f)
Failure to Provide Sentence Planning 0
 2.4 (g)
Failure to Provide Prisoner Compacts 0
 2.4 (h)
Failure to Deliver Offending Behaviour Programmes 
0  2.5 (a)
Failure to Deliver Pre-Release Programmes
0  2.5 (b)
Visits - Failure to Start within 20 mins. of Visitor Arriving
4  2.5 (c)
Prisoner Not Visited by Legal Advisor 0
 2.6 Failure 
to Report/Incorrect Reporting of any Performance Measure
0

Public Transport

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much of the (a) £175 million for 79 projects from the Public Transport Fund and (b) £20 million to local authorities for road and bridge repairs will be allocated to (i) Argyll and Bute Council and (ii) West Dunbartonshire Council and what the money will be spent on.

Lewis Macdonald: The information requested on Public Transport Fund projects can be found in the regional leaflets associated with the Scottish Executive transport delivery report, Scotland’s Transport: Delivering Improvements , which was published in March 2002 and is available at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library3/transport/stdi-00.asp.  Details of a further 23 projects which received awards from the Public Transport Fund were announced on 14 November 2002 in Scottish Executive News Release SE5394/2002.

  Details of the distribution to local authorities of £20 million for road and bridge repairs were announced on 25 February 2002 in Scottish Executive News Release SEET181/2002. Allocations of an additional £15 million to improve local roads were announced on 31 January 2003 in Scottish Executive News Release SEet255/2003.

Public Transport

Rhona Brankin (Midlothian) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how the (a) £175 million for 79 projects under the Scottish Public Transport Fund and (b) £20 million to local authorities for road and bridge repairs will be allocated and how much has been, or will be, allocated to the Midlothian Council area.

Lewis Macdonald: The information requested on Public Transport Fund projects can be found in the regional leaflets associated with the Scottish Executive transport delivery report, Scotland’s Transport: Delivering Improvements , which was published in March 2002 and is available at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library3/transport/stdi-00.asp . Details of a further 23 projects which received awards from the Public Transport Fund were announced on 14 November 2002 in Scottish Executive News Release SE5394/2002.

  Details of the distribution to local authorities of £20 million for road and bridge repairs were announced on 25 February 2002 in Scottish Executive News Release SEET181/2002. Allocations of an additional £15 million to improve local roads were announced on 31 January 2003 in Scottish Executive News Release SEet255/2003.

Roads

Mr David Davidson (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether road tolls will not be included in its funding package for the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route.

Lewis Macdonald: The Scottish Executive will fund the strategic elements of the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route (WPR). We have no plans to include road user charging in our funding package for the WPR.

Roads

Mr David Davidson (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what investigations it has carried out, or is carrying out, on the recent closures of the A90 between Stonehaven and Aberdeen; what support it will give Aberdeenshire Council in making good any resulting damage to verges, drains and the road surface on the B979 between Stonehaven and Maryculter caused by additional heavy traffic loads, and whether it will impose a weight restriction on the B979 except for strictly local access.

Lewis Macdonald: The Scottish Executive, before implementing the planned road closures on the A90 between Stonehaven and Aberdeen, investigated appropriate diversion routes which included discussions with the affected local road authority, Aberdeenshire Council. Appropriate diversion routes, to assist local traffic entering or leaving the affected section of A90, were identified and orders were promoted and published. The B979 is not part of the diversion routes.

  Local roads are the responsibility of local road authorities and it is for them to ensure that these roads are maintained and to identify any restrictions that require to be implemented in order to protect the road and its users.

Sexual Offences

Mr Gil Paterson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many unsolved rapes there are in each police force area in respect of which samples are available that could be re-tested using new technology.

Mr Jim Wallace: The information requested is not held centrally.

Sexual Offences

Mr Gil Paterson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what DNA decontamination protocol is followed after forensic examinations in forensic examination suites.

Mr Jim Wallace: Control measures within forensic examination suites are matters for individual police surgeons, the body of police surgeons within each force, the force itself and the police authority.

Sexual Offences

Mr Gil Paterson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what is being done to raise awareness about rape and sexual assault among adolescents.

Ms Margaret Curran: The Executive is funding a National Office for the Rape Crisis Network. Its objectives include raising public awareness about the reality of sexual violence for women and girls.

  The "Respect" package, which should be available to schools shortly, aims to challenge attitudes which condone violence against women and promote relationships based on equality and mutual respect.

Sexual Offences

Mr Gil Paterson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive in what percentage of cases where rapes have been reported no further action was taken in each year since 1997, broken down by police force.

Mr Jim Wallace: The information requested is not held centrally.